UNDERSTANDING YOUR GRADES IN CANVAS

  

 

 

 

 

Link to Gather

 

 

Still need to register for the AP test? click here

 

 

 

Welcome to AP Computer Science Principles!

This course is part of a Career and Technical Education (CTE) pathway. Completing the Computer Science pathway prepares students to pursue coding at the college level and is noted on the student's transcript and recognized at graduation. To earn Computer Science CTE Completer status on the transcript and a cord at graduation, students should take at least 3 courses; special recognition is also given for completing the full 4-course pathway.

The CS pathway currently includes:

• • • Exploring STEM (engineering/CS survey course)
    • AP CS Principles (Python)
    • AP CS A (Java)
    • Capstone (student designed year-long project)
    • Elective: Art, Games, and Making (flexible project class)

There are also some Engineering pathway courses that include coding:

• • • Robotics
    • Flying Quadcopters and Drones

 

Content

For this AP course, we are following a combined curriculum from code.org and Carnegie Mellon University. The official syllabus is below, and to summarize, this course combines coding and non-coding aspects of computer science. Students learn how to code in Python as well as learning about topics like how information is stored digitally, how the internet works, using computers to analyze data, cyber security, and the global impacts of technology on how we live our daily lives.

 

Grading

The Career and Technical Education (CTE) department has agreed on a common grading policy. Our goals are to:

• • • set high (but achievable) expectations,
    • be clear about how students can earn the grade they desire,
    • encourage students to take responsibility for their learning, and 
    • move the conversation away from earning points and toward showing knowledge. 

 

Formative assessment 

Formative assessment is anything we do while students are still learning a concept. This could include classwork, activities, practice exercises, individual or group work, check-ins, or homework. These assignments are essential for building the knowledge that will enable students to do well on  major projects. To avoid penalizing students for misconceptions while they are still learning, these assignments will be graded as Complete or Incomplete. 

 

Summative assessment

Summative assessment is completed after learning a concept, and is something students do to show what they have learned. In some classes that could mean taking a test. However, in this class our summative assessments will be projects where students apply recent learning.

Each unit will have one or more projects. Each project will have a list of expectations, and completing ALL of those expectations earns a Meets on that project. Each project will also have clear criteria to earn an Exceeds. If anything is missing or not quite finished, students can Revise the project until it Meets. See the CTE Project Rubric below for more details.

 

Here is the general project rubric:

CTE Project Rubric
COMPLETE - 1		INCOMPLETE - 0
Exceeds - 4	Meets - 3	Revise - 2	Submit - 1
Exceeds the minimum requirements. Clearly understands at a deep level.  Any errors are trivial. Could be used as a classroom example.	Meets the minimum requirements. There may be some errors but clearly understands concepts and does not need to revise.	Close! Meets some of the requirements (see teacher comments). Work on missing pieces and then resubmit for revision.	Missing, or there are too many errors to be worth a revision. Schedule an appointment to meet with the teacher to make a plan.
Self Assessment
I can complete this on my own, explain my work, and apply this work to a related problem or question.	I can complete this on my own with only small errors and can explain my work.	I can do this on my own but I am missing something important or have significant errors.	I need more time to understand.

 

Grade Calculation

Letter grades will be calculated based on a percentage of points earned. The number of summative points will be greater than or equal to the number of formative points. If students do not complete the formative assignments but show understanding on the summative assignments (projects), their grade may be adjusted upward to reflect this understanding.

Letter Grade	Formative Assignments  (out of 1 point)	Summative Assignments (out of a multiple of 4 points)	Final Grade
A	1	3.5 - 4	87.5-100%
B		3 - 3.4	75-87.4%
C		2 - 2.9	50-74.9%
NP*	0	less than 2	0-49.9%

   *NP = Not yet Passing; will eventually convert to F if work is not completed